What's the Best Piece of Career Advice a Mentor Ever Gave You?

Remember when you first started in your career? Back in the days when you thought you knew everything?

Chances are, somebody shared with you a piece of advice that changed your trajectory.

Church Production Magazine asked experience church technical leaders to share the advice that helped them succeed.

JUSTIN FIRESHEETS, PRODUCTION MANAGER AT CHURCH OF THE HIGHLANDS IN ALABAMA

“My current boss has had several words of wisdom over the years,” observes Justin Firesheets, Production Manager at Church of the Highlands in Alabama. “When I was first hired and felt completely overwhelmed he told me, ‘You may not know all of the answers, but I believe you know where to go to find the answers.' That was a huge relief to me. Instead of feeling the pressure of always having to know everything and have an answer immediately, I felt the freedom to focus on getting a right answer, instead of just getting a quick one.

Later, as I was learning how to delegate responsibilities to my growing team, and struggling with the balance of when to step in and correct, and when to step back and watch, he said, ‘Just because you have the authority to make every decision doesn't mean that you should.' Sometimes the most critical part of leading is allowing other people to own a decision and using it as a growth and learning opportunity.

“Also, early in my ministry career I was strongly encouraged by him to stop spending so much time sending emails to people and focus more on having face-to-face conversations to build relational equity. As a very task-oriented person, it was really hard to make that shift!”

BILL GROSS, DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION ARTS, COMPASSION CHRISTIAN CHURCH

“Most of my career has been in the secular market, but I had a mentor say something to me that is also applicable in the church. He instilled in me that every audience [congregation] deserved to have the same experience. That meant that excellence needed to be achieved consistently both audibly and visually. If there were any variations as a result of selfish intentions because I was bored or just felt like making a change, then I was robbing that audience of an excellent experience. This is true with the worship experience as well. As technicians, if we start tinkering with things simply because we aren't engaged in the worship experience and feel like experimenting, then we potentially compromise the worship experience.”

BRYAN BAILEY, MINISTER OF MEDIA, FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF DALLAS

“This might not be the most impactful, but it has certainly been memorable and helpful. I was told ‘Accusatory tone can kill a negotiation with a ministry partner or volunteer; however, a question appeals to the conscience. Asking a question is always an appropriate technique for dealing with conflict.”

RYAN HOWELL, DIRECTOR OF ARTS, WATERMARK COMMUNITY CHURCH

“I was given great advice from Martin Massinger, Friend and Watermark's first Tech Team volunteer. Since day one, Martin has set the tone for how we approach our support of weekend services, and how we view all members of our teams. Thinking about all the roles at play during a weekend Worship gathering is all about keeping unique gifts in mind. When we function as many parts of one body, we gain appreciation for the whole. Whenever we begin to think our gifts are the most important, it reveals more about us than it does about others. “

DAVE PULLIN, DIRECTOR OF TECHNICAL ARTS, CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION

“Some advice I received early in my career, but did not understand the importance of until much later, was that it is not my employer's responsibility to ensure I maintain a sense of work-life balance. It is up to only me to manage the demands of my job responsibilities along with the needs of the other areas in life. And this type of life balance is the key to a long career in church work, especially church production.”

“I learned If my work is causing a significant and sustained imbalance, then I need to ask myself some questions:

•Am I being the most efficient as possible? (What can I delegate? What can I eliminate? What are the responsibilities that only I can do?)

•Do I have the detailed documentation showing the high amount of sustained work-load over time? (time tracking stats from 2-3 weeks is not as powerful as stats from 2-3 months).

“Once I can articulate answers to all 3 questions, then I can go to my supervisor and present the challenge (with documentation) and possible solutions. Churches are known for causing burnout because we are serving God through our work, and it is hard to say no to God. But Jesus said that we are responsible for loving our families, and we cannot allow that to be what is regularly sacrificed.”

ERIC CHANCEY, AUDIO DIRECTOR FOR VICTORY FAMILY CHURCH IN CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, PENNSYLVANIA

“The best advice I was given came with some alliteration to make it easy to remember:

•Prepare. Do as much of the work ahead of rehearsal/service to assure everything goes smoothly.

•Practice. The worship team practices, why shouldn't the tech team?

•Produce. If you have prepared and practiced, you are now free to produce”

Has a mentor ever given you really great advice? Keep this article going. Share in the comments below.

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Cathy Hutchison has spent her career working with design professionals in spaces where people connect. She is a vice president with Idibri—a team focused on technology design, acoustics and theatre planning.